07 Oct 09 New Duct Tape Marketing Class Starting October 26th
Starting on Monday, October 26th, another session of the Duct Tape Marketing Classes will be forming. This is a 12 session (10 group, 2 1 on 1 sessions) series of workshops designed to help independent professionals, Entrepreneurs and small business owners get more and better clients.
We are currently planning on meeting at Pizzeria Uno on Rt 9 in Wappingers Falls on the following dates, from 6PM to 8:30 PM.
October 26- #1 The Marketing Hourglass and how to use it
November 2- Your positioning statement
November 16- “Branding- what it really is, and really isn’t/ Getting your message across
November 23- Marketing Kits- How and why to build and use them
December 7th- Marketing Kits part 2:
December 14th- Advertising
January 4th- Public Relations
January 11th- Referral Flood, specifically how to generate one.
January 18th- Harnessing the Internet
January 25 – Search Engine Optimization basics
February1- Make up date in case of severe weather.
The two one on one sessions can be scheduled at any time you wish, on whatever topic you choose.
The cost of the class is a $500 deposit, and then $250 a month for the following 11 months. If you prefer to prepay entirely, I offer a 20% discount on the total amount.
I will need the deposits by October 19th to ensure that I have the materials for the class in time
Those Materials are:
Marketing Plan Pro (a $197 value)
The Ultimate Marketing System workbooks and CD’s (a $399 value)
Duct Tape Marketing- The Book (a $17.99 value)
Yes, The instruction I give is fully guaranteed- Meaning – If for whatever reason the strategy and tactics we discuss don’t help to significantly increase your business, I will buy back all of your materials and refund ALL of your money within 60 days.
Duct Tape Marketing- Simple, Effective, Affordable
Tags: advertising, Branding, Duct Tape Marketing Class, Duct Tape Marketing Class Subjects, Internet Marketing, Marketing Hourglass, Marketing Kits, Positioning, Public Relations, Refferals
30 Sep 09 What is the Least effective form of advertising?
Ask Professor Aimone:
Q- What is the least effective form of Advertising?
A- For small businesses, I don’t think that any particular tactic- be it radio, TV, websites, billboards, trade shows or newspapers is inherently wrong (ok, maybe yellow pages). What I do find the least effective form of advertising tends to be when people are trying to implement the wrong strategy. If your sole goal is to “Get your name out there” and to execute a “branding campaign” your marketing efforts will probably fail if you need results in briefer than a 2-5 year period.
There is a classic analogy of your marketing budget as a glass of water, and the goal is to fill it to overflowing. Nice analogy, and yes, when you blanket the area you do increase the chances that someone notices you. So what’s the problem I have with that analogy?
What happens to the advertising you’ve poured in if you can’t afford to fill the glass to overflowing?
How do you know before you start how big that glass you need to overfill is anyway?
When you pour advertising into the glasses, how do you know you are pouring it into the same glass?
Answers upcoming-
Have a Question on Small Business Marketing for Professor Aimone? Send an E-mail to Randy@AimOneMarketing.com, and if your question is chosen, you’ll receive a free gift (of up to a $125 value)
Tags: advertising, Branding, braning campaings, Duct Tape Marketing, Overfilled waterglass, Professor Aimone, Randy Aimone
01 Sep 09 Your Logo vs. Your Brand
Many people believe that their logo is their brand, and that they should make it as large, prominent and flashy to stand out from the crowd as much as possible- you know- to get noticed!
And that is why many advertisements fail.
What often gets lost in the ‘branding’ process is that your brand is much more than a cute logo, or your face, or how you write your company’s name. I work with many businesses that thought that if they displayed their expensive logo as large as possible people will walk/call/E-mail them and hand them thousands of dollars and say “Wow- you’ve got a very impressive logo- I couldn’t wait to give you my money! Thank you for taking it from me!”
So I ask you- how often have YOU had that conversation with someone you decided to do business with? Heck, when is the last time you paid more than a 20% premium on the “Brand Name” with no other clear differences? My guess is, as the savvy shopper I bet you are… is a long, long time ago.
So what is a brand really- and what builds up real, bankable brand equity?
A true “Talking Logo” is what your customers think when they think about your company. Hopefully, it is what you tell them your brand means- but many brands are simply what customers perceive you as. I know many people who pay a premium to the Sony name- Not because they spent an absurd amount of money on the font they write their logo with- but because the Sony name has a reputation for “Quality, innovative electronics.” So if I have a bit more money to spend on a TV/Computer/Game Console- I might choose to have a couple more features and slightly better quality that I expect from Sony as opposed to the other choices.
A graphical logo we have to be trained to understand, and associate with your brand. This takes countless repetitions and is very expensive to pull off… but for what purpose? If your graphical logo just means you need a size larger Yellow Page ad, billboard or newspaper ad- but the larger size isn’t getting you a single extra client- is it worth it?
Instead of spending time working with a graphical logo, try this instead:
Duct Tape Mad-Libs:
I think we all remember Mad-Libs from our childhood car rides- You just need to fill in the blanks for YOUR company:
I/We ___(Action)____ to/for ______(Target Market)___________ _______(Key Benefit)__________.
So your Duct Tape Mad Lib- if you are a Florist-
We create for homes and brides, delightful scents and images.
How do you know if you’ve come up with a successful Duct Tape Mad Lib?
After you answer the question of “What do you do?” with your Mad Lib, the next question you are asked is:
“How do you do that?”
Tags: advertising, Branding, Mad Libs
23 Jul 09 KFC – How a Great Product can Outshine Mediocre Marketing
A recent Ad Age report (http://adage.com/article?article_id=137962) discusses how KFC in light of it’s recent Grilled Chicken un-think Oprah coupon blunder has actually caused Marketing Analysts to un-think their predictions of failure for the chain.
They thought telling a customer to un-think everything a brand usually stands for and go for something new and seemingly unrelated to southern home cooking was incorrect and doomed from the start. However, they now have a 3% increase in same store sales and positive numbers on repeat customers for the grilled chicken. In fact the article states that they are outperforming the entire fast food industry by 1% Why is that?
Truth is, it’s just a great product that the increasingly heath conscious and budget conscious consumer wanted. As long as KFC got the word out that this was available people were ready to try it. If you have a truly great product, even if you have some Marketing mistakes or nay-sayers, as long as you get the word out there and get people talking and walking to try the product it will succeed. However, if the product sucks and even if you have the best marketing, most likely it won’t do well for long once people catch wind of this. Always strive to come out with an awesome product/service that will not only get people talking but get people coming back. An 85% repeat rate for KFC is awesome and i hope more fast food companies start to un-think a bit and cater to this type of consumer.
Tags: advertising, AimOne Marketing, KFC, Marketing, Oprah, Sarah Lipkin
28 Jun 09 Why Referrals Work and the Other Stuff Doesn’t
Referrals and face-to-face meetings are the preferred tactics for marketing professional services. Most professionals will tell me that the “other marketing stuff” doesn’t work, but if they can get in front of the right person, the usually close the deal.
Have you ever thought about why that is?
Here are some of the reasons meeting face to face, whether by referral or not, tends to be the most effective way for us to gain a new client:
* We are specific about who we help
* We are specific about the types of problems we solve
* We talk in plain English – not in corporate marketing mumbo-jumbo
* We tell our story – People remember and connect with people through stories
* If we are successful generating business from our local chamber or other networking groups, it is because we are consistent. We show up regularly and participate often.
* We listen to the client’s issues, show them that we understand, and explain how we help them solve their problems.
Why the other stuff doesn’t work
Many of the frustrations professionals have with traditional marketing stems from doing the opposite of what works for referrals.
* We are too general – we try to create marketing materials that appeal to everyone and end up being special to no one
* We create materials that are filled with jargon, buzzwords, nonsense, and fluff
* Rather than telling our story, we talk about “fair pricing”, “good customer service”, and “quality work” – just like everyone else
* We are not consistent. We do one mailing and stop. We don’t follow up. We fail to continue to market to our existing clients
For some reason, when we start to create “formal marketing materials” we stop talking to people and start talking at them.
Create more effective marketing materials by focusing on your potential client rather than lecturing them on how great you are.
Tags: advertising, Bill Brelsford, Guest Blogger, Referrals